Forbes Hospice

Since 1979, Forbes Hospice has provided palliative care and support to terminally ill individuals and their families in the Pittsburgh region, allowing them to experience death with the dignity every person deserves. Caring for patients in their homes and in its eight-bed, inpatient facility, Forbes Hospice draws upon a variety of disciplines - medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, nutrition, chaplaincy - to create an environment of peace and comfort where dying patients and their loved ones are relieved of physical, emotional, and spiritual pain and suffering.

Since its founding, Forbes Hospice has helped thousands of terminally ill people live each day to its fullest, surrounded by the comfort of home, family and friends. In the very early days of the program, an average of five patients were cared for each day. Today, Forbes Hospice serves, on average, 105 patients each day and 900 to 1,000 new patients every year.

Hospice care is provided to any terminally ill person, regardless of the person's age, gender, nationality, or race, creed, sexual orientation, disability, diagnosis, or place of residence. All services are offered on a sliding fee scale, with patients and families paying only what they can afford. Although many costs are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurers, some hospice patients do not have insurance or have insurance that will not fully reimburse the cost of their care. Appropriate services are never withheld because a patient's insurance will not cover them.

Over the years, Forbes Hospice benefited from the generosity of many individuals and Pittsburgh foundations. The Forbes Hospice Founders Society, established in 1982, created an endowment fund, which now totals $3 million. Income from this endowment helps to ensure the hospice's long-term survival. The community fund-raising group, Friends of Forbes Hospice, has raised almost $500,000 in support of the hospice and its programs.

Forbes Hospice has established a tradition of excellence in the more than 20 years since its founding. And, like all excellent organizations, Forbes Hospice is committed to continuous improvement and innovation in the services it provides. Your donation can help continue the tradition. For more information, contact Maryanne Fello, Director, at 412-665-3302.